I had finally done it.
I exacted revenge on the killers of my world. Yet, I couldn't let go of the emotions raging inside my broken body.
Even when my consciousness had receded from the control of my body, I didn't forget. The emotions that had been engraved in my bones over the years never once forgot about their responsibilities.
Despite having lost the very essence of my strength—the Dantian—under the influence of my anger, I chose to suffer even more—If that was what it meant for me to complete my duty as a father.
Each step.
Each movement of my body.
Everything felt as though my soul itself was being ripped apart from its very core, and yet, I chose to step forward and retrieve my son's remains.
It was true, that I couldn't protect my world.
Maybe I was weak.
Maybe the enemy was strong.
Maybe I was careless.
But all of it was nothing more than a useless thought.
All I wanted to do right now was to bury him with proper respect. So if not in this life, he may live long and bright in his next one.
As I grew closer to Wusheng's body, I first picked up his head with firm hands. Even in that moment, I wished to feel the warmth of the tiny hands that brought me happiness more than any wealth in this world, just one last time.
Embracing him next to my heart, I firmly held onto his head with my arm wrapped around.
Then, I proceeded towards the broken remains of the wooden pole, trying to look for his body.
Not long after, I pulled it out from the wreckage.
And as expected, his body was in much worse shape—giant rocks and splinters stuck to his body while blood slowly seeped out of his wounds, creating a small pond of crimson right beneath.
Silently, I picked the body up and began to walk away from the forest—the wrecked ground where the metallic stench of blood loomed in the air.
My eyes had lost all color. Even with the ability to see, I had willingly become blind.
With dilated pupils and a cold body, I slowly walked towards the clear ground and slowly put both the body and the head in a small crater formed when my energy went berserk.
Then, I slowly picked up the nearby dirt with my hands. With an aching heart, I murmured goodbye to my life.
Slowly pouring the dirt over the body, pleasant memories that we had been through, the times that I scolded my son playfully, and the moments when I proudly patted his head.
All of it came striking at me like punishment ordained by the laws of heaven and earth.
My face had lost all of its emotions, my eyes had turned dreadful, and yet, my mind cried more than anyone else.
Not for a second did my tears stop flowing out of my eyes.
If possible, I wanted to offer my life in exchange for my son's. I wanted to die. I wished to be buried right beside my son as well.
But if I did so, then there would be no one left to exact revenge for his death. I had to live. If not for myself, then at least for the sake of providing peace to my beloved son's soul.
Gradually, there came a point where his body had been buried to near completion, except for the face.
With emotions welling up inside of me, knowing that I won't ever be able to hear him call "father," with a broken heart, I poured dirt on top, letting my son drift towards the cycle of the afterlife.
"Although I may not have been a good father, I hope you will forgive my incompetence and find peace in the almighty's grace. I wish you a healthy afterlife."
With tears tracing down my face and hands offering the last greeting to the farer, I slowly placed the grass blades and flowers that I had picked from the surroundings onto Wusheng's grave. Then, I cupped my hands in remembrance.
Clenching onto my heart tightly, I forced my lips to curl into a smile and put up a facade so he could peacefully fare towards his next journey.
Bowing my head for the final time, I turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction.
The world that was witnessing all from the beginning couldn't hold in its sorrow any longer and began to shed tears in a downpour. Letting the rain mask the tears, I no longer had the strength to cry.
And just like that, I continued to tread forward on the rough terrain as my feet led the way towards a single destination—the Mo clan.
I believed that even if they held grudges against one another, if I were to grovel on the ground, rub my nose against their feet, and promise to become their dog for the rest of my life... At least then, they will consider fulfilling my last wish—the demise of the 7 clans.
For hours, I kept on tracing my way back to the clan under the soft downpour without caring for my body, hunger, or sleep at all.
Gradually, hours turned into days, and I kept walking without resting for 2 days.
With my Inner Qi—the very source of my longevity and power—gone, my Qi vessels collapsed. My body started to get influenced by the flow of time and completely aged in proportion to his actual age in just 2 days.
Now, with muscles that sagged around my bones and a weak body comparable to a 100-year-old man, combined with the severe injuries that I faced during the battle, even breathing normally was nothing but blatant suicide.
And yet, I had been marching relentlessly for 2 days, just to see the sight that had come to my vision right this instant.
At a distance, there existed the giant, structured walls protecting the city of Xiouyue, the Mo clan's territory... My territory...
However, for several moments, I could not move from my place.
My eyes had caught something that just didn't make sense.
Even though my son, the Patriarch's son, was kidnapped, not a single one of them showed any worries.
And now that I was gone from the city for some time, they had dressed the city like a newlywed wife.
Slowly, with trembling steps, I approached the city in my ragged and torn robes—a mere shadow of their past elegance—as a crimson hue seeped deep within the threads of its fabric, dilating under the care of rain.
As I began approaching the main gate of the city, I saw a large crowd going in and out of the gates while the gate guards were nowhere to be seen.
Confused, I blended in with the crowd and entered the city. Upon arriving, I was astonished to see the crowd that bustled in the streets with a smile on their face. Something that I had never seen since my coronation.
It was... painful...
'All my life... I had been serving these people like they were my own... And now that my son has died... They're putting on smiles and celebrating this like an auspicious occasion?!'
I was enraged. Yes, but I was also powerless.
I wanted to bring them to their knees and let them know how selfish they were; however, I, who was on the verge of collapsing myself, had neither the right nor the capability of doing such a thing.
I simply turned a blind eye to them and proceeded forward to the Mo clan residence.
After a few moments, I finally arrived at the place that I called home for nearly a century.
"It doesn't look like my home anymore..." I mumbled under my breath as I saw long, red, exquisite silk draping all over the residence, putting a nail in his heart.
The gates were wide open, and the public seemed to be crowding inside, increasing his suspicion.
As soon as I stepped inside the gate, I heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Recognizing the vile deeds of the previous patriarch, Mo Taixuan, who had fallen into the hands of a demon, we, the elders of the clan, requested assistance from the other 6 great clans to help us save our clan. And after a tough battle and a heroic sacrifice from more than 3000 soldiers of different clans, the demon has been slain! And now, the Mo clan shall prosper once again!"
"From this moment onwards! I, the head of the elders of the Mo Clan, Mo Zhen! Announce that from this day onwards, the Mo clan shall be led by Mo Zixuan! May the heavens bestow the Mo clan with prosperity!"
The crowd cheered as they congratulated the forthcoming patriarch at the top of their lungs.
Countless gifts from nearby cities were presented at the elder's feet. While many dressed in different attire sat on a seat equivalent to that of the Patriarch.
Without a doubt, they were the emissaries of the 6 clans.
I stood frozen at the gate with my eyes widened in shock as if time itself had stopped for me.
The commoners whom I cared for the most after my son, all of them cheered as if they were truly living under a tyranny.
My own blood, whom I rooted for the most and trusted as if they were a part of my own body, threw him away like a bug in someone's food.
Dots began to connect, and I realized, 'He who reigns the world as the strongest cannot be defeated by a stranger; only the closest can pierce his heart.'
First, the 6 clans. Then, the people, and now? Even my own blood had betrayed him.